Ferdinand de Saussure---the father of 20th-century lingustics

1. Saussure was born in Geneva, he is talented in languages. After a year of studying Latin, Greek, Sanskrit, and a variety of courses at the University of Geneva, he commenced graduate work at the University of Leipzig in 1876. He got his docotor degree in Lepzig when he was only 23 year-old. Then he lectured and did research in Paris for 11 years. Later on he mainly spend his life in Geneva teaching and researching. Most of his tenets was collected and summarized by his students like Confucious.:)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_de_Saussure
2.Indo-European Laryngeals
The laryngeal theory is a generally accepted theory of historical linguistics which proposes the existence of a set of three (or more) consonant sounds that appear in most current reconstructions of the Proto-Indo-European language (PIE). These sounds have since disappeared in all existing Indo-European languages, but some laryngeals are believed to have existed in the Anatolian languages, including Hittite.
The beginnings of the theory were proposed by Ferdinand de Saussure in 1879, in an article chiefly devoted to something else altogether (demonstrating that *a and *o were separate phonemes in PIE).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laryngeals
3.Structuralism
Ferdinand de Saussure was the originator of the 20th century reappearance of structuralism, and evidence of this can be found in Course in General Linguistics, written by Saussure's colleagues after his death and based on student notes, where he focused not on the use of language (parole, or speech), but rather on the underlying system of language (langue) and called his theory semiology. However, the discovery of the underlying system had to be done via examination of the parole (speech). As such, Structural Linguistics are actually an early form of corpus linguistics(quantification). This approach focused on examining how the elements of language related to each other in the present, that is, 'synchronically' rather than 'diachronically'. Finally, he argued that linguistic signs were composed of two parts, a signifier (the sound pattern of a word, either in mental projection - as when we silently recite lines from a poem to ourselves - or in actual, physical realization as part of a speech act) and a signified (the concept or meaning of the word). This was quite different from previous approaches which focused on the relationship between words and things in the world that they designate.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Structuralism
4.speech community
Speech community is a concept in sociolinguistics that describes a more or less discrete group of people who use language in a unique and mutually accepted way among themselves.
Speech communities can be members of a profession with a specialized jargon, distinct social groups like high school students or hip hop fans (see f.eg. ghetto lingo), or even tight-knit groups like families and friends. In addition, online and other mediated communities, such as many internet forums, often constitute speech communities. Members of speech communities will often develop slang or jargon to serve the group's special purposes and priorities.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speech_community
5.Langue
Langue (French, meaning "language") is a linguistic term used by Ferdinand de Saussure which describes language as a system of conventions and rules. This is as opposed to parole, which describes language in use.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Langue_%28linguistics%29
6.Parole
Parole (French, meaning "speech") is also a linguistic term used by Ferdinand de Saussure which, as opposed to langue, describes language in use rather than language as a system. Parole is a dynamic, social activity in a particular time and space.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parole#Linguistics